IT director Andy Muschietti is reportedly in early talks to direct a new adaptation of Gary Brandner‘s 1977 novel The Howling for Netflix. The streaming giant reportedly has the rights to The Howling, though an individual with knowledge of Muschietti’s early talks indicated that the two sides were still far apart, though the director has felt confident enough that a deal will make to mention it in public.
Brandner’s novel served as the basis for the 1981 Joe Dante film of the same name, which has since developed somewhat of a cult following. Netflix being interested in a new Howling makes a lot of sense when you consider the success they’ve had with genre films and shows.
Some of their most successful – sigh – “content” is Stranger Things, The Haunting Of Hill House and, most recently, The Witcher. Clearly supernatural/fantasy-based things are a hit with their subscribers, so a new version of The Howling is right up their alley.
Collider also reports that one source mentioned that Netflix was disappointed with its October (and thus, Halloween) movie line-up, which consisted of films like In The Tall Grass, Fractured, and Eli, none of which were received particularly well.
The streaming giant is reportedly looking to beef up its horror offerings as it looks to stave off competition from rising streamers like Shudder. The Howling is a part of that plan.
The Howling follows a woman who survives a traumatic attack, only to recuperate in a quiet mountain town where, unbeknownst to her, the residents are actually werewolves. The novel is quite different from the film, so we could see something fans of Dante’s 1981 version aren’t expecting.
That film relied almost solely on practical effects, but Muschietti’s IT films are filled with CGI, so it will be interesting to see which path they take. There’s also talk that this Howling adaptation could turn out to be a series, which Netflix would probably prefer anyway. We’ll wait and see.
Netflix releases so much content that it can be hard to keep up. But getting Muschietti on board for this would make The Howling one of their bigger in-development projects. Muschietti is currently prepping the new Flash movie that looks to have finally risen from development hell.
#Peace.Love.TheHowling
